


Hidden in plain sight

by WritingPains



Category: Iron Man (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe, Avengers Family, Howard Stark's A+ Parenting, Howard Stark's Good Parenting, Hurt Tony Stark, Iron Man is a secret Identity, Kid Fic, Kid Tony, Kid Tony Stark, Secret Identity, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, young Tony
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-23
Updated: 2019-08-06
Packaged: 2020-03-10 04:36:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,938
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18931390
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WritingPains/pseuds/WritingPains
Summary: Tony is almost fourteen and working his way through school.He’s also Iron man, but the world doesn’t know that.Yet.





	1. Chapter 1

“I reckon he’s a dude from the slums,” Clint guesses. “Has a chip on his shoulder, wants to do right by the world cause he thinks the government is corrupt.”

  
“Did you miss the falling apart of S.H.I.E.L.D, Clint?” Sam asks, eyebrows raised. “Because the government is corrupt.”

  
“Whatever man, I’m just saying that maybe, whoever it is, he’s probably bitter about something.”

  
“I don’t think so,” Nat shrugs. “I reckon the reason they’re not saying is because they’re afraid of the public reaction.”

  
“So, someone with a name?”

  
Nat nods.

“Makes sense,” Steve nods. “I mean, they’re obviously wealthy, because a suit like that doesn’t come cheap, and we know enough from listening to him chatter that he’s not exactly- what’s the word? - modest. He’s most likely not outing himself because he’s already known and people won’t like it, or he doesn’t want it to interfere with his day-to-day life.”

“Who do we know fitting that description?” Clint asks, faking contemplation. “Stark wouldn’t surprise me.”

Steve scoffs loudly, and he raises an eyebrow.

 

“Come on, Clint. Howard does not have the time to be running around with us, and if he did, why wouldn’t he tell us it’s him? He is our benefactor, after all.”

“These rich people man, who knows what is going on in their brains.”

“I know Howard, trust me, it isn’t him.”

“What about his kid? He has a son, right?”

“He’s thirteen. As far as I’m aware, he’s too busy causing trouble at school while simultaneously excelling in classes five years his senior,” Steve explains. “He’s going to MIT in the fall.”

“Smart kid,” Clint huffs his approval.

“Smart mouth, I’ve heard. Howard says he’s at wits end with the boy.”

“Kids are like that, though. I bet Howard was a nuisance when he was younger too.”

“Yeah, I can only imagine. Bit hard on the kid though,” Steve admits. “Anthony doesn’t really talk to his Dad much when I’ve over there. He seems terrified of the guy.”

“If it’s not a Stark,” Clint draws the conversation back, “then what about that guy who owns Playboy mansion?”

“He’s eighty,” Sam says, shaking his head. “He’s hardly going to be operating a suit that looks like it weighs three hundred pounds.”

“Closer to two hundred. What?” Nat asks when she gets curious looks. “I have an eye for these things.”

The team continues to debate into the night about the identity of their secretive teammate, drinking and laughing as the suggestions get increasingly ridiculous.

As the night comes to a close, with Clint daring Steve to drink more of Thor’s elixir than even as Asgardian could survive, the team make their way to bed.

Three miles away, in the Stark Family Mansion, Anthony Stark is preparing for another long night of work under the rigid surveillance of his father.

 

“You’re not going to MIT just to embarrass me,” Howard says, as he lays down an empty blue-print paper. “I want to see you building something incredible and worthy of the Stark name.”

Oh, Tony thinks. Other than the miniature arc reactor, J.A.R.V.I.S. and the Jericho Missile?

But he doesn’t say it aloud. It’ll only antagonise his father further, and it’s really not worth the effort.

“I’ll be back in the morning. You need to learn, boy, and you need to learn quick. You need to prove yourself worthy of MIT.”

Tony doesn’t understand how much more he needs to do. He didn’t get in on name alone. He’s almost fourteen, for goodness sake, and was accepted on early admissions at an age most people aren’t even thinking about college.

But nothing will please dear old dad. Everything he does needs to be better and needs to set himself further apart from others his age.

There’s a reason he’s completely friendless. No one wants to hang around with the kid who’s freakishly smart and has the horrible arc reactor in his chest. Tony, his father says, should have learnt to deal with it by now.

Apparently 6 months is long enough, but it’s not. He’s not allowed to have PTSD from his time in captivity, nor is he allowed to be self-conscious about having an electric monstrosity embedded in his chest. Fortunately, he’s not had to be open about it. The only people other than his Mamma, Father and Jarvis that have seen it have been the Avengers, and they don’t even know it’s a part of a real person. As far as they’re aware, it’s a battery embedded in the suit to power the armour indefinitely. They’ll never know what is really is. He doesn’t feel the need to out himself if he’s getting away with helping.

For one, while his Dad might be incredibly impressed with the suit and with Tony’s working alongside Steve Rogers, his father would never allow him to keep being IronMan. It’s a dangerous job, Tony knows that, but he’s far more frivolous with his life than he’d maybe should be. His father, for all his nagging and pushing, would not want to see Tony in danger, no matter what for. Not to mention how his Mamma and Jarvis would react.

So, Tony keeps that part of his life private.

It’s his and his alone.

 

A week later, Tony is sat in his AP science class when he sees an explosion in the distance. He jolts upright in his chair, watching the mushroom cloud erupt.

“Get down!” Mr Frank shouts.

The students dive beneath their desks just in time for the classroom windows to shatter, scattering glass over the floor like confetti.

“Don’t move!” Mr Franks orders.

But Tony is already out of the door and running down to the old labs. He’s the only one that uses them now, since the school got a donation from Stark Industries when Tony started studying there.

Within three minutes, he’s in the suit, activated the reflective panels and is shooting into the sky, before zooming towards the blazing fire.

None of the other Avengers are there, and they’re not on comms yet either. Maybe it’s below their pay grade or maybe they’ve not set off, but either way, Tony needs to take point on this one.

“What’s the best option here, J? Are the emergency crew on their way?”

Looking around, Tony can see that the damage is localised. The fire is coming out of the warehouse, and while the force of the explosion and overturned cars in the industrial park around it, no one seems to be hurt.

“Fire service is five minutes out.”

“Damn.”

Tony scans the area, looking for anything that could help. He sees a manhole cover close to the fire and dives for it, ripping the heavy plate off.

Much to his delight, there is a solid pipe with the words “water main” on it. Tony melts a hole and immediately a spray of water the size and strength of a geyser explodes upwards. It’s not perfect, but Tony has to use what he can. He slams the manhole cover into the ground at an angle so that the water ricochets off and is now aimed at the building.

Knowing it’s not enough, Tony finds other water mains and repeats the action until the fire is easier to handle. The firefighters appear moments later, congratulate him on a good job, and Tony nods back at them.

Once the fire is completely out, Tony repairs the pipes and heads back to school without anyone the wiser.

 

“Are you sure you can’t just have a few drinks with us?” Clint begs.

“Sorry,” Ironman replies, hands up in surrender. “Operating this under the influence of any alcohol would be irresponsible.”

Being seven years under the legal limit has nothing to do with it. Howard let him taste scotch at Christmas when he was ten. A ‘secret gift from father to son’. Maria was beside herself with anger when she found out, but Howard had simply laughed and explained that it’s supposed to put him off it for life.

It was a dirty trick, but it worked. Tony doesn’t ever want to put alcohol near his body again if it’s going to make him feel instantly sick. That stuff burned on the way down, what the hell.

“You could take a leaf out of his book, Hawkeye,” Nat says with a nudge. “Your little ‘drink-shooting’ days end in disaster more often than not.”

“Look, Nat, when I’m away from the family, responsibilities are purposely shoved to the side. Respect that.”

“No.”

Clint laughs and dodges as Nat tries to snatch his drink away for herself.

“What about food?” Dr Banner suggests. “Would you like some pizza?”

Iron mans stomach grumbles but he can’t eat here. He would risk revealing his identity if he did.

“No thanks, Dr Banner. I’ll eat when I’m home. I get cramps otherwise.”

It’s a lame excuse, and judging by Clint’s snickers, he thinks so too. But Tony isn’t going to out himself for pizza, even if it is his favourite.

“It’s such a shame,” Steve says lounging on the sofa Tony has helped his dad pick out. “I feel like you’re one of us, but also not. You do all the fighting but never get to relax. What do you do during the day?”

Tony laughs at the idea of telling them that he studied for exams and hides from bullies in the bathrooms.

“Nothing of interest,” he shrugs. “Live, breathe, eat and all that jazz.”

Technically not a lie, but it still makes him feel guilty as hell.

“Sorry guys, I need to bounce. Got… dinner to cook.”

He actually had homework to do, but he can’t very well tell them that.

“Have a good night Ironman. And thanks for today. You were amazing.”

“Aren’t I always?” he retorts, making his left eye flash so it looks like he’s winking.

And then he’s falling from the balcony and twisting before heading up towards the stars.

 

  
“Avengers alert,” Steve calls, as he pulls the cowl down his face. “Terrorist plot to destroy Grand Central Station. We need eyes, find the bomb, do what we can to either get it away from the station or disable it. Understood?”

Grim and tired faces greet him as they disembark from the Quinjet. Ironman, who hadn’t responded to any of their attempts at communication, swoops in and lands beside them.

“Bit early for a mission, but I was awake anyway,” he crows cheerfully. “J.A.R.V.I.S has already located the bomb. I’ll go in and fly it somewhere safe. If I have time, I’ll diffuse it.”

“Sounds risky, man, shouldn’t you try to diffuse it first?” Clint suggests.

“Do that, hundreds of lives are at risk. Even if you manage to evacuate, there’s still the people around and those on the trains. No, it’s best I take it away and then take it apart.”

“I’m not sure we should advocate for that,” Sam says. “I mean, what if it explodes before you get to safety?”

“I agree with Ironman,” Steve says. “He’s smart, he knows what he’s doing. He’s also an adult, and he can make his own decisions.”

“Thanks, Cap.”

Without another word, the Avengers get to work. Ironman flies into the building, heading straight for the bomb. Nat and Clint go after the terrorists, wrangling he detonation device from their hands, and Steve, Bruce, Sam and Thor help the evacuation process.

“Got the bomb,” Ironman calls. “I’ll let you know how the second part of my plan goes if it does, indeed, go.”

Steve doesn’t worry for his teammate’s safety. Ironman has shown himself to be perfectly capable, and highly intelligent to boot. He’ll get the bomb away from civilians and either detonate it in a controlled environment or work at taking it apart.

“The thugs have been detained,” Clint says. “The local police are picking them up now.”

“What were their motives?” Sam asks. “I mean, they don’t seem to be screaming about politics or religion, but it’s gotta be something, right?”

There’s a beat of silence and then:

“Apparently, their plan has worked perfectly. Something about making Ironman pay. They claim to be part of a terrorist ring- something about outing the man that stole their captive?”

Steve immediately feels sickened.

“Ironman, it’s a trap, it’s—“

“I figured that out on my own,” Ironman says, sounding terrified and horrifically young. “The bomb wasn’t a bomb. It was an EMP. It went off, the suits almost completely offline. I’m falling, and there’s no way to stop it. I- guys I’m so sorry. I’m sorry, but tell my father I’m-“

Ironman is cut off by a loud splashing, and Steve curses up a storm.

“We need to get to the river. I think he’s gone down,” Steve orders, grabbing hold of Sams hand and allowing himself to be hauled into the sky. “Use your infrared to find where he fell.”

Sam doesn’t need to be told twice, and minutes later they’re flying over the East river trying to find Ironman.

 

Tony isn’t crying. That’s just the water that’s filling up his suit. It’s close to his mouth, and he’s scared, but J.A.R.V.I.S is still operational by some miracle, so despite the mounting terror, the reluctant flashbacks to Afghanistan and the stupid waterboarding, he doesn’t feel alone.

“Should I call Howard?” his A.I suggests.

Tony considers his options, and when the water reaches his chin and the light from the sun above becomes dark, he agrees.

“Anthony?”

“Dad,” Tony says, his voice cracking.

He can hear his father go on full alert. Ever since Afghanistan, his father has wanted to keep an eye on Tony every second of every day, and Tony has resented him for it. He felt suffocated and trapped, but he’s suddenly recognising the benefit of that. His father, at least, would come and save him.

“What’s wrong, son? Where are you?”

“Dad, I’m… I’m in the East river.”

His father splutters over the phone and he sighs.

“Ironman?” he asks with a desperate plea that Tony say no.

“I’m sorry,” Tony sobs without meaning to. His father hates it when he cries, especially in public. “I’m sorry. I just wanted to—”

The water reaches over his mouth, and no matter how hard he tries to lift his head above it, he can’t.

“Tony, don’t panic!” his father shouts. “Captain America and Falcon are coming for you, I promise. You’ll be fine, and when you are, know that you’ll be grounded for the rest of your life. Stay strong, Tony. I love you, and—.”

The water comes above his ears. He can’t hear anything. It’s dark and there are bubbles escaping his mouth. His chest starts to burn, and his body begs to be given oxygen that Tony can’t offer it. He’s not sure if it’s the suit powering down completely or his consciousness escaping him, but darkness edges its way into his vision.

 _I’m sorry,_ is his last thought before his lungs take in a wave of water.

His mind grows quickly foggy, and the terror recedes. He’s floating on the cusp of life, and it’s not going to last long. The last thing he experiences before he falls asleep for good is the peculiar feeling of being dragged upwards.

 

 

“After a harrowing attempt on Grand Central Station, the world was finally given an answer to a five month long question. Who is Ironman? Well, I gotta say, Todd, I did not expect it be to a child.”

“Me neither, but if the rumours about Howard Starks only child are to be believed, he’s a genius beyond even his fathers intellect. He built himself a suit and had the guts to use it to save lives. The kid deserves recognition, but he’ll probably not be allowed back out until he’s older enough to buy a scratcher.”

Tony groans, his mind barely comprehending the noises he can hear around him. Beyond the chattering of the television, he can hear beeping and murmured talking. His chest is painful, like he’s inhaled a brillo pad, and his ribs feel bruised. Every breath is uncomfortable, and he tries to shift to ease the pressure on it.

“Anthony?”

Tony’s eyes fly open, and when he tries to take a shuddering breath in surprise, he finds that his airways are blocked.

“Don’t panic,” Jarvis says, laying a hand on his shoulder. “The doctor is coming.”

Don’t panic? There’s something in his throat, and they want him to not panic. His hands come up to try and pull whatever it is out, but Jarvis takes his hands and holds them tightly.

“No, the doctor has to take it out. They had to put an intubation tube in to help you breathe.”

The words don’t make sense in the muddle of panic encasing his mind. Tony struggles, but it’s weak and he’s without strength.

A doctor comes in a second later and smiles sympathetically at him.

“We’ll take this out right now, OK? I need you to swallow for me. Keep swallowing as it comes up.”

Tony doesn’t nod, he just does as he’s told and then slowly the tube is pulled from his throat. It’s a horrible experience, and he feels sick, but it’s out and he can breathe freely.

“How are you feeling, Mr Stark?”

Tony just shakes his head. His throat feels raw and he’s not sure he can make words just yet. He’s also feeling like a weight is about to be dropped on him, and he’s not sure why. Hell, he’s not even sure why he’s here.

“What do you remember before waking up?”

Tony shrugs. He’s not sure what he remembers. Being in his dad’s workshop, trying to do one of his ridiculous ‘under extraordinary circumstances you must make something extraordinary’ exercises. He was tired, wanted coffee and snacks, and was all-round miserable that his dad was doing it again. And then… nothing, he thinks. An explosion? Something about the Avengers?

Tony’s eyes flicker over to the screen. He sees himself in the armour laying motionless on the banks of the east river. Captain America is tearing the armour away from him, revealing a soaked through, blue-lipped, dead teenager. Steve, for all his evident shock, barely takes a millisecond to process the information before he’s performing chest compressions.

“You were carrying a bomb out of Central station, and when it detonated, it powered-down your suit. Captain America dove in to pull you out. That was five days ago.”

Tony’s eyes snap back to the doctor and they widen.

“Five days?” he croaks. “My dad… mamma… where?”

Jarvis squeezes his shoulder.

“They’re outside. They’ve not left since you were brought in. neither did the rest of the avengers. Or the press, though they’ve not been able to get inside, don’t worry.”

“We’ll give you a moment to process and speak to your, but now you’re awake I’ll want to ask you a few questions.”

Tony nods and the doctor leaves. The door doesn’t even close behind her before Maria and Howard are rushing in, looking tired and dishevelled, but oh-so relieved that he’s awake.

“You idiot,” his father whispers, as he pulls him into a gentle hug. “You could have died.”

“Whatever made you think being Ironman was a good idea, bambino?” his mother cries. “You’re a child.”

Tony can’t reply just yet. He just lets his parents hug him and fuss over him.

“Are you angry?” he asks, after a long bout of silence.

“You bet your arse we’re angry,” his father says softly. “You’re grounded, and I’m stopping your allowance until you go to college.”

Tony can’t feel too angry about that. His parents were worried. He understands. He doesn’t blame them. He doesn’t even mind being grounded, since he rarely goes out anyway.

“but… can I still… am I… will you—”

“Let you continue being Ironman?” his father guesses.

Tony looks at the wall when he nods.

“No.”

Tony’s shoulder sag and his head falls back into the pillow.

“We’ll have to discuss it further before you’re even allowed to touch the suit again,” his mother adds in. “What were you thinking, Anthony? It’s a walking death machine! You’re playing hero with people more than double your age! I cannot believe you would be reckless and irresponsible.”

“I’m sorry, mamma,” Tony whispers. “I just… I wanted to help.”

“And you did an excellent job of it,” Howard agrees, running his hands through Tony’s brown curls. Maria is about to protest when Howard cuts her off. “Come on, honey, he did. He saved thousands of lives, had gained the respect of heroes and is a great example of why Starks are worth their salt. I’m not saying we let him run around in a suit, Maria, I’m just saying he deserves credit for it.”

Tony see’s pride in his fathers’ eyes, something so rare and precious that he wants to take a picture of it and keep it on him at all times. He’s about to say something when a commotion outside draws his attention.

“If he’s awake, we want to talk with him,” come a familiar voice.

“Yeah, wanna give the squirt a talking to. Ask him why he thought it was OK to play such a dangerous game. And also tell him his armour is wicked cool.”

A second later, after some haggling with the doctor, the door opens again and in comes the entire Avengers roster. They ‘re all looking at Tony with a mixture of sadness and relief, except Clint.

“Can’t believe you’re an ankle biter,” he moans, shaking his head. “Just a lil’ tot, playing at being a superhero.”

“Someone had to make the team more attractive,” Tony jokes, his voice rough. “I volunteered as tribute.”

“Cute,” Clint winks. “Real cute.”

Steve steps forward, and Clint backs off, giving Tony a look that says ‘you’re in for it kid, good luck’.

“Anthony,” he begins, though he seems mostly at a loss for what to say. “I have to say, I’m surprised that you’re… you.”

Tony’s eyes flicker between his father, Clint and Steve.

“Opening the suit and finding… well, my friends’ kid-son. I’m not sure if I’m impressed or disappointed.”

“You should be impressed,” Howard says. “He’s a genius, my Anthony. He’s also a goddamn idiot, but he’s the smartest idiot I know.”

“That’s sweet an all,” Clint says, “but am I to assume that we’re going to be down Aerial support until he’s of legal age?”

“Maybe,” Howard says, shrugging at Maria’s death glare. “We’ll have to see. I’m not happy with my son going into such dangerous situations, regardless of how much support he has. Plus, now you know who he is, you might be putting yourselves in more danger when you wouldn’t ordinarily. If you were hurt, I doubt Tony would forgive himself.”

Steve nods his agreement.

“We’ll discuss his reinstatement later. For now, he needs to recover.”

“Agreed,” Maria says. “And to do that, he needs to rest.”

The Avengers are shooed out of the hospital room, each other offering a smile or a wave to Tony. He waves back, and then melts into bed.

“Speak with the doctor, and then you’re going to sleep, young man,” his mother orders.

“Yes, Mamma.”

 

 

 


	2. Notice

Hey guys!

So, I did start writing another fic based on this one.

If you go to my profile and look for 'Take off the suit, who are you' you'll find it. I hope you like it!

 

Have a pleasant day!  
  


Writing Pains x

**Author's Note:**

> Never written Howard being a good dad and felt guilty about it.  
> I’m thinking of writing another like this, but longer and spanning all the movies without his identity being revealed - let me know what you think.


End file.
